Shirt



R. M. MAY

April 4, 1944.

SHIRT Filed Jan. 27, 1941 INVENTOR E EOBEIZT 04 MAY Ii 57 '7 BY 6L1;

H15 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 4, 1944 SHIRT Robert M. Crown May, San Francisco, Calif listener to Manufacturing 00., Inc.,

San Francisco,

Calif., a corporation of California Application January 27, 1941, Serial No. 378,071 2 Claims. (Cl. 2-116) My invention relates to garments; and more garticularly to improvements in shirt construcons.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a shirt having a collar adapted either to be buttoned up for receiving a tie or rolled down in sport fashion.

Another object is to provide a collar of the character described which stands up neatly when used with a tie, yet which folds down into a smooth roll in the open throat position.

Still another object is to provide a garment of the character described having improved fastening means.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of my invention. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to this disclosure of species of my invention, as I may adopt variant embodiments thereof within the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front view showing my improved shirt with the collar rolled down for sport wear;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the collar buttoned up for receiving a tie;

Figure 3 is another similar view with one of the collar tabs lifted to show the button.

Figure 4 is a front view of the shirt opened out flat. portions of the collar being broken away to illustrate the internal construction.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken in a plane indicated by line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the collar folded.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken in a plane indicated by line 1-1 of Figure 4.

In terms of broad inclusion, my improved shirt comprises a collar adapted to be folded into either tie-receiving or open-throat positions, and reenforcing means for supporting the collar in the tie-receiving position yet permitting it to be folded into a smooth roll without exposed stitches in the open-throat position. Improved means are also provided for fastening the shirt at the neck.

In greater detail, and referring to the drawing, my shirt comprises front portions 2 connected to back portion 3 and shoulder portion or yoke 4, the latter being preferably of double thickness. These parts may-be of any suitable material adaptable either for semi-dress or sport wear. Marginal flaps 6 integral with the front portions are folded back along edges 1 and lie loosely canon against the inner surfaces of the shirt. These back folded parts are relatively narrow but widen out towards the top as shown in Figure 4. Suitable fasteners 8 serve to connect the overlapping front portions together.

The collar of my improved shirt comprises two thicknesses 8 and II of a relatively soft material such as that from which the rest of the shirt is made. 'I'hesethicknesses are connected along the outer edges by stitches l2; and are connected together along part only of the base edges by stitches l3, the latter also penetrating the shoulder portion 4 to secure the collar to the shirt. The remaining base edges of the collar thicknesses II and 9 are not stitched together but are separately stitched to front portions 2 and back turned parts 6 by stitches l4 and It as shown in Figure 7.

An important feature of my invention is the provision of a reenforcing strip I! adapted to support the collar neatly in the tie-receiving position shown in Figure 2, but permitting the collar to be folded into a smooth roll without exposed stitches in the open-throat position shown in Figure 1. This reenforcing strip is of a material, such as cambric, having some degree of stiffness yet foldable to provide a smooth roll when the collar is turned down in sport fashion. Upper edge [8 of the strip is preferably curved and terminates at the base corners of the collar as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 4. This shaping gives the strip a height substantially equal to that of the collar when folded in tie-receiving position, thus causing the collar to stand up neatly.

Strip I! is interposed between the thicknesses of the collar and is caught along the lower edge by stitches l3 and II. The upper edge of the strip is secured to thickness. ll only by stitches l9, this being the side or thickness which lies within the collar when folded as shown in Figure 6. These stitches are therefore completely hidden in both wearing positions of the collar.

In the open-throat position for sport wear as shown in Figure 1, the collar is turned down along a roll line 2| which extends across the upper corner of front shirt portion 2 and the backtumed part 6. Part 6 thus forms a lapel when the shirt is so worn.

Improved means are also provided for fastening the shirt portions together at the neck. The fastening preferably comprises a button 22 engageable with a loop 23 on one of the front portions 2. In order to give flexibility to the fastening means, button 22 is secured to one end of an elastic strap 24 which extends thru an open ing orbutton hole 26 in the other front por tion 2. Inner end of strap 24 is secured to the and a yoke interposed therebetween, means for fastening the free edges of the front portions together to close the shirt upon the torso of the wearer, a part of the free edge of each front portion being turned back to give double thickness and the same material surface on both inside and outside of the doubled part, said turned back portions being widened at their upper ends sufs ficiently to extend entirely across the faces of lapels formed by the front portions when in an open throat position, a collar secured to the yoke and front portions, and a reenforcing strip disposed in the collar whereby it may be selectively turned into standing position to receive a tie or turned down in open throat position along a roll line extending angularly across the ends of the reenforcing strip and the lapel-portion of each said doubled part.

2. A shirt comprising front and back panels and a connecting yoke, a collar of double thickness attached to the front panels and yoke and optionally foldable into either an upstanding tiereceiving position or in an open-throat position, a reinforcing strip interposed between said thicknesses to support the collar in the tie-receivin position and foldable with the collar alon smooth roll lines crossing the ends of the reinforcing strip' in the open-throat position, and edges turned inwardly along adjacent edges of the front panels, said inwardly turned edges being of a width adjacent the collar suflicient to extend entirely across and provide a continuous facing for outwardly faced lapels formed by the collar and front panels when the collar is in open-throat position.

ROBERT M. MAY. 

